Lowcountry Rapid Bus System

The Lowcountry Rapid Transit system (LRTS) is a bus rapid transit system in development which will connect the city of Charleston to the town of Summerville. It is the first mass transit project in the history of South Carolina. Construction is slated to begin in 2023 and the system is expected to be in operation by 2026.

Lowcountry Rapid Transit
Service areaCharleston County
Dorchester County
Berkeley County
Service typebus service, express bus service
Websitehttps://lowcountryrapidtransit.com/index.html

Plans

The Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments started the development of the mass transit system in 2014. Due to the area's geographic population spread, rail was considered impractical.[1] The current plan is for a bus rapid transit system that will traverse 26 miles. Buses will have priority at intersections allowing them to bypass traffic. The LRTS is expected to consist of 24 buses that will ferry people between the medical district in downtown Charleston and Summerville.[2] Costs for the LRTS are estimated to be $360 million.[3] The system will use existing infrastructure from Charleston Area Regional Transportation Authority (CARTA). LRTS planners believe fares will be $2.[4]

The system will start with 18 stops, a large portion of which are likely to be on Rivers Avenue in North Charleston.[4] The exact locations for many of the stops have not been determined yet.[5] In 2018, the Federal Transit Administration provided a $880,000 grant to aid in planning for development along the line. Additional federal grants will be sought by the counties.[5] A transit framework plan also determined other potential bus transit corridors in the area.[5]

References
  1. Darlington, Abigail (2018-12-23). "Here's what the Charleston region has to do to make robust transit a reality". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  2. Baldwin, Skyler. "Charleston's major mass-transit project could change how SC commutes". Charleston City Paper. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  3. Hoff, Patrick (2019-10-09). "DOT approves rapid transit project for development". Charleston Business Journal. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
  4. Dennis Jr., Slade, and Wise (2020-02-02). "Overlooked for years, North Charleston's south end awaits transformation". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2020-07-29.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  5. Benre, Robert. "Charleston region to study how bus rapid transit could reshape neighborhoods". Post and Courier. Retrieved 2020-07-29.
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